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Whitecaps’ ‘tough team’ faces tougher challenge

‘A real test of character’: Still in MLS playoff hunt, but schedule won’t do club any favours

Vancouver Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller rues another missed scoring opportunity against Chivas USA during their Sept. 1, 2013 Major League Soccer game at BC Place Stadium.

Photograph by: Darryl Dyck
, Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Whitecaps rookie Erik Hurtado was a philosophy major at Santa Clara University, so he’s well acquainted with the study of general and fundamental problems and a reliance on rational argument to address those problems.

Asked after practice on Tuesday for his thoughts on the Caps’ “pretty tough” remaining MLS schedule — five of eight games on the road, an opponent winning percentage that is the highest of the Western Conference contenders — the winger was pretty succinct.

“We’re a tough team.”

No elaboration. No response when asked if it was just that simple. Just a tight smile and a look that said next question.

Clearly, he didn’t want to waste too much energy dwelling on the daunting task ahead of the Caps as they try to stay in the hunt for one of those five conference playoff spots.

And as Mr. Sunshine, eternally optimistic head coach Martin Rennie notes, the supposed difficulty of the Whitecaps position is only one interpretation of the situation.

They are, despite a 1-4-2 run and a disappointing 2-2 tie on Sunday against lowly Chivas USA, still tied for sixth with FC Dallas, just two points back of Portland and Colorado. The Rapids have also played one more game than the Caps and the two clubs close out the regular season with a home-and-away series.

“Everybody is pretty much playing everybody in the (conference down the stretch),” said Rennie. “So if our (schedule) is hard, everyone’s is pretty hard. We’ve got a couple more games on the road, which is always a little bit more of a disadvantage, but something we can embrace and make the most of.”

He noted the Caps are done with two-time reigning MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy, who are red hot and look poised to make it three titles in a row.

“That’s a positive thing.”

Colorado, Portland and San Jose (eighth in the West, three back of Vancouver and Dallas) each have one more against the Galaxy. Seattle, three points up on the Caps with two games in hand, still has two to play against Los Angeles.

“We play (conference leader) Salt Lake at home, as opposed to on the road,” added Rennie, whose ability to find silver linings is one of his greatest strengths. “There’s lots of reasons why I think our schedule is not any tougher than anyone else’s.”

He’s entitled to his spin. But starting the three-game road swing in Frisco, Texas, against FC Dallas is about as tough as it gets. The Caps have lost all three games they’ve played there since 2011 and were blanked on all three occasions.

Rennie said the Caps simply can’t look too far ahead or too far back at past games against certain opponents.

“People start to look at it and say ‘Oh, they’re going to lose this game, or the next game and they might win this one or that one, but that’s not going to be enough.’

“That’s not the way the game works. You’ve got to play every game. If points were given out then we’d know who was going to win the league before the season starts. Basically we’ve just got to focus on playing one game this weekend and do everything as well as we possibly can and not worry at what point of the season we’re at, who we’re going to play.”

Of immediate concern, too, is poor starts the last two games. Vancouver, on obvious defensive miscues, gave up third-minute goals to both the Galaxy and Chivas. It seemed, suggested Rennie, that in the commitment to attacking early, the players weren’t totally focused on what they needed to do defensively.

“We just switched off a little bit defensively. That’s important that we get that sorted out.”

While the Caps will be without starting winger Russell Teibert (international duty) against Dallas, Hurtado looked solid in that position as a second-half substitute on Sunday, creating a couple of terrific scoring opportunities for himself and setting up the tying goal in stoppage time.

Vancouver will also welcome back feisty and influential midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, who missed the Chivas game due to an accumulation of yellow cards. The English Premier League veteran, who hasn’t been afraid to bluntly assess the club’s effort and commitment at times, says the Caps may well have under-estimated Chivas.

“This is going to be a real test of character,” he said of the three straight road games. “This is serious business. We’ve got some real tough games coming up … and we need to get results.

“This is the type of period where it shows your true character and how far you’ve really come along as a team and as individuals.”

The Caps backed into the playoffs last season when they went 1-6-3 down the stretch and then lost in the first round to the Galaxy. They desperately want to make it on merit this season and then do some damage in the post-season.

It’s clear that the game changes in the final two months of the regular season. The intensity ratchets up, the tackling is tougher, the defences tougher to break down. The mistakes are always more costly and the goal-scoring opportunities wasted more magnified.

“We’re at that point in our season where it could go one way or the other,” said Reo-Coker. “We must make sure our way is up. We’ve come a long way from last season, but the same time talk is cheap. It’s easy for us to say that, but we actually have to do it.

“Everything we achieved early in the season will count for nothing if we just let it crumble and fade away.”